Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 248: The Kingdom of Precious Beasts

Wukong heard clearly. It seemed Zhu Bajie still had ties to the Heavenly Court. But he had witnessed firsthand how Bajie played tricks on Chang’e while drunk. If this was a ruse to feign weakness, the person who devised it was truly too cunning. Wukong secretly rejoiced that he had sent Honghaier to replace Sha Seng; otherwise, he might not have been able to handle the situation.

Bajie arrived at a village, descended from the clouds, transformed into a rough-looking man, and headed straight into the village. Wukong wanted to see how this fool would beg for food, so he followed closely behind.

Bajie strode forward. Seeing a house ahead, he rushed in without knocking, startling the people inside who started screaming. He headed straight to the kitchen, saw half a pot of cooked rice in the pot, picked it up, and carried it outside.

The household owner finally regained his senses, cursed angrily, and chased after him with a hoe, but how could he catch up with Bajie?

Bajie rushed to a deserted place, filled his alms bowl first, then used his rough hands to grab handfuls of rice and stuff them into his mouth until the pot was empty. Then he patted his belly and said, “An empty pocket but a full belly—still a blessing.” After that, he patted his full bowl and said, “Tang Seng, Tang Seng, I’ve lived up to you, right?”

Wukong found it amusing that this fool was talking to himself as if possessed. No matter how amusing he was, if he didn’t focus on protecting Tang Seng, Wukong wouldn’t tolerate him. It seemed he needed more discipline.

Bajie flew back with the bowl, seeing that Wukong had returned and was standing beside Tang Seng. He thought to himself, “That evil guy is back again.” He went up to Tang Seng, smiled, handed him the bowl, and said, “Master, eat quickly. The food will get cold soon.”

Tang Seng took it and said, “Wuneng, you’ve gone to such trouble.” Knowing that Wukong and Wuhui wouldn’t eat, he ate only a small portion before feeling full. He then gave the bowl back to Bajie and said, “Bajie, eat more.”

Bajie feigned sincerity and said, “How could a disciple snatch food from his master? Let the master eat first; I’ll eat after.”

Tang Seng said, “Bajie, you’ve learned manners today.”

Wukong laughed and said, “Master, don’t worry about him. He’s already eaten half a pot.”

Bajie was shocked and said, “Senior brother, you just returned, and already you’re spreading slander?”

Wukong said, “There are still rice grains stuck between your fingers. How dare you accuse me of slander!”

Bajie stretched out his hand and saw it was true. He then tried to defend himself, saying, “This is… I grabbed rice from the pot and it stuck when I filled the bowl.”

Wukong said, “Stop lying. If you’re going to beg for food, do it properly. But why transform into a man and force your way into a house? What’s the difference from a bandit?”

Bajie was terrified and said, “Senior brother, how did you know?”

Tang Seng’s face turned extremely grim as he asked, “Wuneng! Is what Wukong said true?”
Bajie stammered, “Master, well… those villagers are so stingy. I was afraid you’d suffer from hunger, so I… I…”
Tang Seng snapped, “You wretched fool! You’re utterly ungrateful! I’ve taught you day after day. As the ancients say, ‘If one isn’t guided and still behaves well, how can they be called a sage?’ If guided and still behave poorly, how can they be called a virtuous person? If not guided and still behave poorly, how can they not be called foolish? Acting like this is truly the behavior of the lowest and most foolish! Entering a place without knowing propriety and scaring away the benefactors—doesn’t that bring sin upon me?”
Bajie was so terrified that he didn’t dare say a word.
Wukong said, “Bajie, this quest for the scriptures is critical at every step. If Buddha finds out we’re disrespectful, all our efforts will be in vain. I’ll overlook your mistake this time, but you must be more careful from now on!”
Unlike his usual habit of cursing, he gave earnest advice. Bajie became even more anxious and suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Tang Seng several times. “Master, I truly intend to obtain the scriptures. This was truly an unintentional mistake. Please forgive me once.”
Tang Seng glanced at Wukong, who said, “Bajie, you should know that if you don’t want others to know, don’t do it at all. If you’re still half-hearted in the future, just go back to Gao Laozhuang and be your happy son-in-law again.”
Hearing Wukong’s lenient tone, Bajie hurriedly said, “I dare not, I definitely dare not!”
Seeing Bajie obedient, Wukong said, “Then get up quickly and go scout ahead!”
Like someone who had been pardoned, Bajie quickly stood up, carrying his rake and luggage as he rushed forward, while Wukong followed slowly on his white horse.
After half an hour, Bajie returned on cloud, saying, “Master, elder brother, there’s a precious pagoda to the south ahead. It’s golden and very beautiful! I was afraid it might be related to Buddhism, so I didn’t dare approach.”
Hearing about the pagoda, Wukong knew they had passed White Tiger Ridge and were approaching the Yellow Robed Monster. In “Journey to the West,” Wukong was sent back to Flower Fruit Mountain by Tang Seng, only to be brought back by Bajie. Many things had changed in the heavenly realm now; it was unknown whether that Wolf Star was still there.
After crossing a stretch of hills and forests, with vines and green pines everywhere, they emerged from the pine forest and saw a golden glow and colorful mist to the south. It was sunset, casting a bright light on the pagoda’s golden roof.
Tang Seng said, “Amitabha. When I was in the Eastern Land, I made a grand vow. Along the way, I’d burn incense at temples, worship Buddhas when I saw them, and clean pagodas when I encountered them. Since we’ve seen it now, let’s go pay our respects.”
Wukong examined the pagoda carefully. There was neither any trace of evil nor any aura of immortality, which puzzled him. He said, “Master, I’ll accompany you.” The two went to the pagoda, where they saw a jade plaque across the door inscribed with the words “Wanzi Mountain, Bo Yue Cave.”

Wukong laughed and said, “Master, this is no tower at all—it’s just a demon’s lair disguised as a pagoda.” Tang Seng exclaimed, “Where could there be any demons?”
Wukong replied, “Don’t worry, Master. It seems there’s no one inside.” He waved from afar to call Wuhui to watch over Tang Seng, then pushed open the slightly ajar door of the pagoda and went in.
The interior was quite spacious, with tables and chairs, but covered in a thick layer of dust—clearly no one had been there for many years. Wukong walked around but saw not a single living creature. He couldn’t help but think, “Has that Yellow Robed Monster really given up coming?”
Unbeknownst to him, the Purple Micro Emperor had already checked all twenty-eight constellations. One of the five of unknown origin who had been replaced was Kuimi Wolf, who was now suffering punishment in the Purple Micro Palace—how could he possibly escape to trouble them?
Since it wasn’t a Buddhist pagoda, there was no need to clean it. They left Bo Yue Cave and took the main road westward.
The scenery along the way was beautiful, with pleasant mountains and waters, as if walking through a painting. After traveling three hundred miles, they saw a city ahead, with tall towers and palaces. They had arrived in a kingdom.
Upon entering the city and inquiring, they learned it was the Kingdom of Bao Xiang. The four disciples, tired from traveling along unmarked paths, packed up their belongings and horses and stayed at an inn.
There was no conversation that night. The next day, they went to the palace gates and said to the gatekeeper, “There are monks from the Tang Dynasty who have come to see the king personally to exchange their documents. Please convey their request.”
After the messenger reported this, the king of Bao Xiang was overjoyed to hear that holy monks from the great Tang Dynasty had arrived. He immediately ordered, “Bring them in.”
Tang Seng was brought before the golden steps, where he performed dances and paid his respects. All the officials present marveled, “What noble people these are, with such refined manners!” The king asked, “Elder, what brings you to my kingdom?” Tang Seng replied, “I am a Buddhist monk from the Tang Dynasty. By order of our emperor, I have come to the West to obtain sacred scriptures. I originally had the necessary documents, but upon arriving in your kingdom, I should exchange them. Hence, I didn’t know how to proceed and disturbed your majesty.” The king said, “Since you have the documents from the Tang emperor, show them to me.”
Tang Seng handed them over, and the king of Bao Xiang stamped them with his own royal seal before returning them to Tang Seng.
That evening, the king hosted a banquet in the eastern pavilion to entertain Tang Seng and his disciples. As everyone was enjoying themselves, three women entered from outside, each adorned in jewels and dressed in luxurious, beautiful attire.
Seeing the three women, the king beamed with joy and said, “These are my three daughters. Hearing that the monk from the Tang Dynasty had arrived, they wanted to see representatives of China. Please forgive them, holy monk.”
Wukong, who was listening nearby, asked, “King, are your three daughters married?”

The king said, “My eldest and second daughters were married long ago, both to military officers of our country. My youngest daughter was betrothed just a month ago to the son of a civil official in our court.”
Wukong nodded and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. You have three beautiful daughters, as well as capable men who can help stabilize the country.” Yet in his heart, he thought, I remember that Yellow Robe Monster saying the third princess of Baoxiang Country was an angel from heaven who came down to earth to be with him, so she was reborn into an imperial family to fulfill their long-held fate. Bah, complete nonsense. Since the Nine-Tailed Wolf wasn’t here, and the third princess was already married, such a romantic story about a past-life promise was pure nonsense. That Nine-Tailed Wolf clearly kidnapped her and made up a lie to cover up his actions. Since this never happened, Wukong naturally wouldn’t create trouble.
Since he came to this world, he didn’t know how much the original framework had changed, so it was only natural for some deviations to occur.
The next day, the king led many officials to see Tang Seng off west of the city. The journey westward, with meals and drinks along the way, traveling by day and resting at night, need not be described.
As for the Nine-Headed Worm, having lost the Two-Headed Monster Fish, he was filled with hatred, anger, and fear. Guanyin had told him that the Two-Headed Monster Fish was extremely important and ordered him to take turns guarding it with the Golden Fur Wolf. It was his turn to guard it, yet he lost the fish. If he returned now, he didn’t know what punishment he would face. But he knew well that Guanyin Buddha had great powers; even though the world was vast, there might be no place left for him to hide. After much deliberation, the Nine-Headed Worm still headed to the South Sea.
When he saw Guanyin, he told her the truth about what had happened. Upon hearing this, the Buddha became furious. If the fish were merely lost, there might still be a chance to recover it. But as long as it was still in the world, she would search for it everywhere—from the highest realms to the deepest abysses. But the fish contained the soul of the Tang King, who had no magical powers at all. Without the waters of the netherworld, he might not survive even a day.
If he died normally and his soul went through reincarnation in the underworld, it would be easier for her to retrieve him by using her connections. The worst scenario was if he suffered some tragic accident and lost both his body and soul—that would ruin everything!
The Buddha wished she could kill the Nine-Headed Worm with a spell, but she needed him at that time and couldn’t afford to lose one of her own allies. Suppressing her anger, Guanyin said, “If you can’t get that fish back, you’ll never be able to atone for your sins!”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied fearfully, “I know I’m guilty, but that man’s whereabouts are unknown. I really can’t defeat him.”
Guanyin asked, “Very well. What kind of weapon does that man use?”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “That weapon is extremely heavy, like an iron rod.”

Guanyin thought for a moment. There were a few others in the world who used iron rods—Sun Wukong used a rod, but he had gone west with Tang Seng to obtain Buddhist scriptures, so he neither had the energy nor the reason to go to the netherworld. Another one was the Bull Demon King of Qitianling… Yes, it must be him. If not for the qilin, who else in the world could uncover the secrets of the five kings?